Science fiction authors have the challenge of being a virtual god when they set out to create the universe within which their characters are required to function. Setting the limits or lack of limits sets the stage that allows the readers to suspend their disbelief. Once the readers can do that they are free to immerse themselves in the reality that the author needs to create.
Frank Herbert’s Dune is a classic example of universe building. A combination of the familiar and mundane, mixed with the weird, the unexpected and ultimately the unbelievable, to blend into a reality that the readers want to experience. Who among science fiction fans hasn’t experienced the fear and anticipation of summoning a giant sandworm, felt the exhilaration of the daring leap followed by the triumphant ride across the desert. This is universe building at it’s very best. I’ve lost track of how many times I have re-read Dune and it’s sequels since the summer of 1971 when I picked up my first copy.
Creating such a world is not easy. Even a simple universe very little different from our own everyday existence can present difficulties. My own universe, just a hundred years in the future required careful thinking and rethinking.
- No great breakthroughs to allow faster than light travel;
- Realistic limits on fuel and velocities and the use of various types of solar sails to move around the solar system;
- Weeks to months to travel to various destinations in the Asteroid belt, Jupiter and Saturn;
- Only use existing destinations, moons, asteroids or planets;
- Navigation is not as simple as going from point a to point b, it is more like shooting clay pigeons from the back of a moving jeep, Everywhere is in constant motion;
- Acceleration is a straight line proposition, subject only to curves induced by gravity sources or an unbalanced center of the ship’s mass, No star wars type banked turns with no atmosphere to bank against. Inertia rules!
- With a population of over twenty-billion, there is benefit to mining the asteroids for scarce resources that can be refined without adding to Earth’s pollution. But not all miners are successful and some take up the age-old practice of piracy…
I found that creating an outline summary of my universe in my old Lotus word processor was helpful. I could refer to it as needed and add notes and details as I progressed. Everything went into it from Asteroid names to communications protocols and slang terms. It has been really handy once I started the sequel book(s) to keep the necessary consistency. And for a universe to be believable it has to be self-consistent.
My wife/editor is very picky about consistency. If something shows up, she brings it up. (and not just in the story line of the book, she is very good about keeping me honest in real life too! LOL)
So, a simple universe not too different from the one we all know so well, but, presenting even such a simple world has not been easy and as the series unfolds I am still looking at it as a work in progress… I am still, very much a neophyte god. It’s been a learning process, a challenge, and more than anything I’m still having fun with it.
Lunar Base One 